Summer House Trip 4
by The Knight of Thirteen
Summary: The girls get back together at Chiyo's summer home one last time before college, and the prodigy uses her brains to try and nudge her friends into the proper places before she has to leave for America. Tomo x Yomi , Nyamo x Yukari , Sakaki x Kaorin. Not a huge fan of the last one, but a couple of well written stories made me give it a shot. Shoujo Ai.
1. Chapter 1

_**This is set after the group goes to Magical Land. I have not read the manga, so i am not including much, if any info given there, and if i contradict something from the manga, i apologize, but it is fanfiction, so i can retcon some things i if have to. This is my first AD fic, and i had a rough time finally writing it. I think it was because there are so many characters in lead roles that need to be played together correctly and that's a bit rough. I prefer to focus on one or two, so i split the group up when i could get away with it. Read and review! Your constructive criticism is appreciated! **_

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"Hello Miss Sakaki! How are you?" Kaorin ran excitedly up to her crush and stopped just in front of her, grinning shyly.

"Oh. Hello Kaori. I am doing well for the most part. Yourself?" The taller girl was sitting on the front steps of their mutual young friend Chiyo's house, petting her beloved cat.

"Wonderful! I'm so excited for this trip!" Kaorin was shifting from foot to foot rapidly, almost bouncing up and down in anticipation.

"I am as well. But I am worried about what comes next." Kaorin stopped fidgeting immediately.

"W-what's wrong Miss Sakaki? What happens next?" Sakaki sighed and scratched the content cat's ears.

"Chiyo is moving to America for college as soon as we get back from this trip, and I am not moving into my apartment until late next month. I don't know what to do with Maya... I'm very worried. I do not want to leave him in the care of someone I don't know, and I can't afford to leave him at any sort of professional facility."

"Oh... Well he is welcome to stay with me." Sakaki looked up at the smaller girl in surprise.

"You... you'd do that for me?" Kaorin nodded vigorously and stopped when she heard her own neck pop a little.

"Of course! I have a cat and two kittens, and they are all very well behaved and love other cats! It would be no trouble at all, and you'd be able to visit any time you like. My mother actually really likes having visitors. We host events for the astronomy club a lot."

Kaorin forced her mouth to stop moving. She was talking too much. The girl of her dreams was a quiet and reserved individual. She needed to keep her mouth under control.

"Kaori... Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me." Sakaki stood up and smiled warmly at the shorter girl. She leaned down and held out her arms to the cat, who jumped into them without hesitation. She lifted the animal. "Maya, say hello to Kaori."

"Hello Maya! Would you like to stay with me for a few weeks? I promise i'll take good care of you, and you'll have other cats to play with!" Kaorin leaned in close so her nose was inches from the cat's. Maya meowed once and touched noses with her.

"Well you have his approval. Thank you again Kaori."

"Please call me Kaorin, Miss Sakaki. It's what all my friends call me. And i'm glad I could help! Now you can enjoy the trip without worrying!" Sakaki smiled and nodded.

"Yes, thank you Kaorin. You should just call me Sakaki then. We are friends, after all." The shorter girl nearly collapsed at those words. Sakaki had declared them friends! Sakaki was entrusting her with her most treasured possession! Sakaki would be visiting a lot for the rest of the summer!

"Mhm! The others should be getting here soon, Sakaki. Do you know who all is coming? I was sort of a last minute addition to the trip I think... I wasn't in your class last year so I think they almost forgot me." Sakaki looked strangely at her friend.

"I never forgot you, and I don't see how any of them could have. Especially Chiyo. I'm sure there was another reason. But as for who's going, I'm not sure. I was one of the first she called, and the others were still figuring out their schedule for this week last time I spoke to them."

Kaorin closed her eyes and carefully tucked the memory of Sakaki saying she never forgot her away into a special corner of her mind. She opened her eyes and sorted out the rest of what had been said.

"Oh, okay. Well i'm sure we'll have a great time, whoever comes. Is Maya joining us?" Sakaki smiled and rubbed her cheek against the animal in question.

"Yes! I think he'll love the beach, and as long as Tomo doesn't bother him, he likes being around people. He's a very friendly cat." Kaorin nodded and reached up to pet him, enjoying the softness of his fur on her fingers.

Chiyo opened the door and skipped happily down the steps. The grinning thirteen year old high school graduate greeted them both cheerfully.

"Good morning Kaorin! Good morning Sakaki! Would you like to come inside? I just made some tea!"

"Oh, thank you Chiyo. That sounds wonderful." Sakaki followed the prodigy, and Kaorin followed Sakaki.

After a few minutes, a knock on the door gained the attention of the three girls. Chiyo answered it to find a very tanned girl with short hair and running shoes panting at the door.

"Kagura i'm so glad you could make it! Did you run all the way here?!" The athlete nodded and grinned proudly.

"Two miles in fifteen minutes! That is a new personal record! Is anyone else here? You did say ten in the morning, right?" Kagura looked around and then spotted the other two sitting at the table and greeted them. Chiyo invited her in.

"Eight miles per hour for fifteen minutes is very good. Is it practice for swimming? I'm surprised you were able to get time off for the trip." Sakaki was looking at Kagura as if she were some strange new creature that might be dangerous or might be soft and fuzzy.

"Coach let me have one week off since she's coming too. But she's going to make sure I get some practice in while we're there. Oh, Chiyo, Coach and Miss Yukari will be here in about ten minutes." Chiyo nodded and thanked her for the update.

"Are... are we taking the Yukari-mobile?" Kaorin looked terrified as she asked. Chiyo shuddered and closed her eyes, taking a moment to repress the terror the very name brought to her.

"No. We rented the van again. It will hold all nine of us comfortably." More knocking came from the door. This time it was three deliberate polite knocks, followed by a sudden rapid explosion of noise from the door bell mixed with random pounding. "That will be Yomi and Tomo, I believe." Chiyo smiled and answered the door.

"Hey Chiyo!" Tomo bounded into the building, nearly running over the small genius. Yomi apologized to their host and shook her head. The girl was never going to change, and she had come to terms with that.

"Thanks for inviting us again, Chiyo." The small girl just waved it off.

"It wouldn't be the same without you! I'm glad you were both able to make it! I hope this doesn't put you behind on your studying too much." Now it was Yomi who waved it off.

"No, I was actually way ahead. Tomo's been neck deep preparing for her own classes, so I've had a little peace and quiet now and then. It's been kind of boring, actually, but don't tell her I said that." The bespectacled girl blushed slightly and grinned at her young friend who nodded in understanding.

"I'll keep that to myself, don't worry. Oh Osaka! You made it!" Chiyo waved at the girl who had just rounded the corner and started walking up the drive way, her eyes roving lazily around the landscape. Yomi turned and waved as well. The spacey girl focused on her friends and waved back.

"Hey Yomi! Hey Chiyo!" Osaka wandered slowly up to the door. Just as she got there, a car pulled in and an energetic woman with long wavy hair leaped out of the passenger side, yelling at the driver in rage.

"Jeez Nyamo, do you have to drive like a shriveled old woman?! Osaka even beat us here! I bet we're the last ones here and it is all your fault!" The driver got out. A fit, dark haired, well groomed individual who was doing her best not to let her best friend irritate her into homicide.

"Yes, Yukari, I know it must be horrible for you to arrive somewhere without hearing police sirens along the way, but not everyone finds that a comforting sound. Hey girls. We aren't too late are we? She decided to wait until I got there to start packing." The responsible teacher gestured at her companion.

"You're right on time, the others just barely got here! Miss Kurosawa, would you mind driving the van again?" Everyone waited anxiously for the response.

"Sure! Oh and i'm not your teacher anymore. You can all call me Minamo or Nyamo. I'm here as your friend this time, not a chaperon."

"Alright! Well now that we're all here, let's load our stuff and go!" Chiyo announced.

As the others packed their belongings into the van, Chiyo entered her house to change into a more suitable outfit for a trip to the beach with her friends.

Yukari was the first to notice the young girl's change in style.

"Hey Shorty, you look different. You're a legitimate teenager now aren't you? I like the new look. It's pretty cool." Everyone stared between the two in shock. Yukari had complemented someone? Yukari had noticed a small change that no one else had? What was happening to the world?

Chiyo was grinning with pride at her old English teacher. She now wore her pigtails even lower than before, nearing the point of becoming a pony tail. She had one a long sleeved white shirt with a red jersey over it, and blue jeans.

"Thank you Miss Yukari! I wanted to try out a more American style to see how it felt, and I kind of like it." The teacher glared down at her.

"Call me 'Miss' again and i'll stomp you down a few more inches, midget." Chiyo cowered slightly.

"Y-yes Yukari." The teacher's grin returned as suddenly as it had left. Her mood swings were scary sometimes.

"Alright, we're all packed. You give the word, and we're off." Chiyo was shocked again. Yukari was actually acknowledging that she had some authority.

"I'm ready! Let's get going! Adults in front, Sakaki and Kaorin next, so Maya can see out the windshield, Tomo and Yomi next, so we can keep an eye on them from both sides, and Kagura, Osaka, and myself will ride in the back."

Everyone was pleased with the arrangements. Chiyo was smiling to herself. She was the only one among the group who knew all of the groups crushes and relationships. As the youngest and most innocent, she seemed easiest to trust with secrets, and as the smartest, she seemed the best choice to ask for advice.

So now, Chiyo was playing both referee to jealousy as well as junior match maker for the group. What a trip his was going to be.

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**_Review! Tell me what you like, what you don't, and what you think i should do to make it better!_**


	2. Chapter 2

"Ocean! Ocean! Ocean!" Tomo escaped the confinement of the vehicle and sprinted toward the water, clumsily stripping off articles of clothing as she did so, nearly falling on her face several times.

"I wish she'd stop wearing her swimsuit under her clothes. It's so childish." Yomi shook her head and Chiyo patted her shoulder.

"It... looks like you got your wish. Maybe more than one of them." The prodigy pointed toward the ocean where a completely naked Tomo was only feet from the water. Yomi almost fainted. She blushed as the genius raised an eyebrow at her. She went to the bags and dug out Tomo's swimsuit and ran after her friend.

"Tomo you moron this is a public beach! You can't just go skinny dipping any time you want!"

"You can't go _skinny_ dipping at all! Hahahaha!" Yomi ground her teeth as she skidded to a stop several yards away from the water.

"Come get your swimsuit." Tomo looked at her in confusion.

"But... You're still over there. I'll have to get out of the water. I'm naked, Yomi!" The taller girl grinned mischieviously.

"It didn't seem to be bothering you a moment ago. Where did this sudden modesty come from?" Tomo blushed and sank until only her eyes and hair were visible, glaring at her friend. "Well after the fat joke, i'm not coming any closer, so either you wait for the tide to come in, or you get your bare butt out of the water and come here."

"Fine! But I will remember this." Tomo slithered closer, staying underwater as long as she could, then leaping out and sprinting the last few yards to her friend and snatching her swimsuit, pulling it on in record time, her face red to the tips of her ears.

"Don't worry, you're not alone." Nyamo patted Yomi on the shoulder, holding a skimpy bikini in her hands as Yukari glared at her from the water. Yomi laughed at the ridiculousness of it. She and Tomo were so much like their old teachers that it was scary sometimes.

"Watermelon! Watermelon! Watermelon!" Tomo exited the water and ran at the tanned athlete carrying the fruit in question. Kagura quickly sat the melon on the sand and prepared to be tackled. She was not disappointed.

"Watch out Tomo! You could have broken the watermelon!" Kagura scolded her energetic friend as she struggled to get up. Yomi stepped up and lifted the wildcat around the middle and carried her back toward the ocean.

"Come on you. If you go tackling people i'll have to strangle you." Tomo went limp in her arms, sighing in defeat.

"Fine. You sure you weren't just jealous of me being all over Kagura?" Yomi dropped her friend on the spot and walked away, leaving the wildcat confused but triumphant.

Chiyo had opened the door to the summer house and the other three had followed her in.

"Wow Chiyo, I didn't know you had a summer house!" Three sets of eyes turned to the Osakan girl.

"Osaka... You've been here three times before..." Osaka blinked at the prodigy.

"Oh yeah. Thanks for inviting me again!" Chiyo smiled and tried not to think about what went on inside the spacey girl's head.

"Alright Maya, have a look around, but don't go making a mess, alright?" Sakaki set the animal down gently. He looked around and sniffed his surroundings, then walked over to Kaorin and put his front paws on her shin.

"Mrow!" Kaorin giggled and bent over, picking him up and holding him close to her chest.

"Hey there Maya! You are so cute, you know that?" Sakaki shivered as she watched the two. She was thrilled that she'd found someone to take care of Maya, and the combined cuteness of the kitten and the girl were almost giving her fits.

"Oh, Osaka, could you help me make beds?" Osaka nodded and followed the shorter girl.

Kaorin sat on the bottom stair and let the cat curl up happily in her lap. Sakaki sat down next to her to adore her pet. The steps were narrow enough that she had to sit with her side pressed against the smaller girl's.

"So... Where are you going for college?" Sakaki answered and the smaller girl stared in awe. "R-really? Me too! I didn't know you had an interest in animal medicine too! That is so cool! We'll actually be going to school together again!"

"Yeah, that is pretty cool. I thought you were interested in astronomy though?"

"Oh, yeah, but all the profitable careers related to it involved a lot of math that I wasn't interested in. Being a veterinarian was my second choice, and I think I made a good decision!"

"It will be nice to know someone there. Maybe we'll have some classes together." Kaorin closed her eyes and imagined another four to six years with Sakaki.

"Yeah... That would be amazing..." Maya meowed for attention from the two girls, walking from lap to lap and rubbing against them in turn.

"Oh Maya, do you want to go down to the beach now?" Another meow. "Kaorin, i'm going to go change. Could you keep an eye on him?"

"Mhm! No problem!" As her tall friend walked up the stairs, Kaorin gently lifted the cat to eye level. "So... Maya, do you think I have a chance?"

"Mrow." Kaorin smiled.

"Well I hope you're right." She sat him down on her knees and continued petting him. "I must be crazy, talking to a cat. Chihiro will never let me hear the end of it if she finds out." Soon, three girls came down the stairs. Kaorin's eyes fixed on Sakaki. She checked to make sure she wasn't drooling. Her idol was wearing a bikini the same stormy gray as her eyes, with thin black trim to accent her curves.

"You look... Wow..." Chiyo giggled quietly as Osaka wandered past without seeming to notice anyone. Kaorin closed her mouth, took a breath, and assembled a complete sentence. Quite a feat, given the situation. "Sakaki, you look absolutely beautiful in that swimsuit!"

"Th-thank you... I brought two new ones." Kaorin almost melted, thinking about Sakaki in yet another revealing outfit. "Do you have a towel to sit on?"

"Oh no! I forgot to bring one!" Sakaki held up hers.

"You can share mine. It's really big. We can both stretch out on it. If you don't mind. Maya will like it that way." Kaorin nodded rapidly and grinned.

"That sounds wonderful to me! Come on Maya, lets go get your paws wet!" Kaorin followed Osaka out the front door, as Sakaki and Chiyo followed after.

A few minutes later, Chiyo had joined her friends in the water while Sakaki and Kaorin had stretched out side by side on a large beach towel with the small cat nestled comfortably between them. Kaorin closed her eyes as she sighed in contentment. She felt this trip could already be called an unqualified success.

"Hey Kaorin, what are your living arrangements for college?" The tall girl looked over at her friend, idly petting Maya.

"Oh, Chihiro and I are splitting rent on a medium apartment. Neither of us could afford a small apartment on our own, so this was the next best thing. What about you?"

"I'm going for a small apartment. I'm going to be working part time as a vet's assistant to help pay for it, and my parents have agreed to help as well. You're very lucky to have a friend close enough to share an apartment with. I wish I did."

"Really? But you're friends with everyone here! And isn't living on your own better?" The long haired girl shook her head.

"Tomo and Yomi are already rooming together, Kagura is going several cities away, Chiyo is going to America, and Osaka is going to stay at home since her college is very close. And I will get lonely, even with Maya. I'd never had friends before high school..." Kaorin rolled over on her side to look at her friend directly.

"That can't be true. You're beautiful, and smart, and kind, and athletic! You're amazing! You should have been wading through potential friends your whole life!" Sakaki blushed, and upon replaying her statements over again in her head, so did Kaorin.

"Thank you... But I was always too shy to make friends. And since I'm so big, people where afraid to come and make friends with me. Chiyo was the first one to actually bring me into a group." Sakaki looked out at the water where their friends were enjoying themselves.

"Well you have friends now." Kaorin smiled at her crush and then rolled back onto her back. From beside her, she heard a small laugh.

"Kaorin, you really brighten my day. You're really easy to talk to. I'm glad you came on this trip." Sakaki stretched and closed her eyes as well.

Maya looked at the two content girls on either side of him and decided to go investigate the noise coming from the people in the water. Before he could reach the source of the commotion, a gentle wave rushed up the sand and forced him into a retreat. He remained amused for hours playing tag with the water's edge.

"Alright everyone! It's getting late, lets go inside!" Chiyo called to her friends. Everyone but Tomo and Yuakri had already retreated to the sand and dried off by that time, but those two would have spent the night splashing around if no one called them in.

The girls took turns running through the shower, washing the salt and sand from their bodies before changing into their pajamas. While Kaorin and Sakaki were cleaning Maya's paws, the shorter girl's phone rang.

"Hello? Oh hey Chihiro. What's going on?" Kaorin's face fell slowly. "But... what am I supposed to do? I can't afford an apartment on my own! Grrr... I know, I know... Thanks for telling me as soon as possible. See you later. Bye." She hung up and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Sakaki was worried about her friend.

"Chihiro just got a late acceptance letter from her prefered school, but it is quite a distance from mine, so we won't be able to share an apartment. I'll have to find someone else or I don't know what i'll do..." Sakaki watched her friend turn from cheerful to depressed and knew she had to do something.

"We're going to the same school, I'll share an apartment with you. It's the least I can do since you're taking care of Maya for me." Kaorin was stunned. She felt dizzy with excitement.

"Do... do you really mean that? Would you really do that for me?" Sakaki nodded and smiled.

"I'd prefer it actually. I don't like being alone. Does your apartment allow cats as well?" Kaorin nodded.

"Maya can stay, but I am letting my cats stay with my parents. My mother would really miss them."

"So it will be the three of us. I'm really looking forward to it." Sakaki was imagining a whole year living with her cat and a real friend. It was heaven.

After all of the girls and the cat were clean, they gathered in the main room in a circle. The table had been moved and they were each sitting on a pillow or a pile of dirty clothes.

"Hey Chiyo, what happened to the furniture?" Nyamo asked the host.

"Oh, my parents are doing a little remodeling, but it isn't finished yet. That reminds me, I have something to tell you all that you might not like... There are only six beds, so some of you ill have to share." Eight blank stares and a small meow.

"It's only for a few nights, and they are pretty big beds. By next summer, there will be three rooms with two sets of bunk beds each, and three rooms with singe beds, but right now, we only have six single beds. Any volunteers for bed sharing?" Chiyo looked at her guests nervously.

She had planned a great many things to try and drive certain people closer together, but this was unforseen. Her parents hadn't told her the remodeling wasn't finished. Maybe they didn't know she was bringing more than five friends? Whatever the reason, she needed to manipulate the situation to her will.

"Nyamo and I can share. We did several times in college when one of us would get too drunk to make it to the top bunk." Yukari said. Nyamo gave her a glare. "Alright, when _I_ got too drunk. Happy?"

"Yomi is the only one who could put up with Tomo for that long, so I don't think they should get a choice!" Kagura pointed to the two, who were currently trying to strange each other.

"What?! No way! Tomo should get her own bed! I'd kill her!" Yomi glared at the athlete.

"Hmmm... Does any one have any sort of reason they need to sleep alone?" Chiyo asked, reluctant to let the two in question split so easily.

"I sleep walk some times." Osaka informed the group. Yukari eyed the girl suspiciously and inched away.

"Just so no one else gets woken up with a knife, maybe she _should _ sleep alone." Chiyo nodded at her old english teachers reasoning.

"I think Chiyo should get her own bed since she's hosting us." Kaorin said politely. Sakaki smiled at her.

"That is true. I would sleep with Kaorin, since she doesn't mind Maya. If that is alright with you?" Kaorin nodded vigorously, her eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"Alright, so there is only one more free bed, and Kagura, Yomi, and Tomo are all contestants. How about a race?" Chiyo was met with two grins and a raised eyebrow.

"I accept!" Kagura and Tomo yelled together. Yomi just shook her head.

"I forfeit. Just please try to win this time, Tomo." The wildcat laughed and jumped to her feet.

"Of course i'll win! I always win!" Kagura did a few stretches and stood before her competitor.

"I've never seen you win anything." Tomo stuck out her tongue.

"You are just looking at the competitions wrong. I won second place with Sakaki and she is way faster than you." Kagura almost started foaming at the mouth.

"That was a two person race! And it doesn't matter that she is faster than me, because you aren't!" The two took off out the door. A few minutes later, Kagura returned, looked around and then threw both of her hand in the air. "I won!"

Moments later, Tomo came in, panting heavily and objected.

"No, I won!" Kagura looked at her as if she were insane.

"I came in first, I get the bed. I have witnesses!" Yomi reluctantly nodded.

"Yeah, but I got second, so I won Yomi!" The bespectacled girl sighed in defeat.

"Fine, but I will tie you to the bed posts if you fidget." Tomo grinned and tackled her friend.

"Alright, now that that is settled, lets play a game!" Chiyo cheered.

"What game?" Yomi asked, trying to sit up with the wildcat still hanging off of her.

"How about truth or dare?" Yukari suggested. Chiyo hid her grin. Perfect.

"Okay, but we should make sure we all understand the rules first." Nyamo said with concern.

"Right, first rule, if you do two truths in a row, you have to do a dare next. Second rule, obey the first rule." Yukari laughed at her excuse for a joke.

"How about we add, nothing beyond pg-13 since Chiyo is here?" she received nods from everyone except a grumbling Yukari.

"Hey Yukari, could you help me make some kool aid? It's an American drink I tried and it is really good." The woman nodded.

"Sure, we used to have that at parties all the time in college. It was really good. Are you going to mix it a cup at a time, or make a whole bowl full?"

"Oh I bet it would be easier in a bowl! They're on the top shelf, can you get them for me?"

The two went into the kitchen leaving the others to think about the questions and dares they might give or receive. Nyamo was suspicious of how helpful her friend was being, but knew the prodigy would keep her in line.

In the kitchen, the two were throwing colored mix, sugar, water, and ice together in a large bowl and mixing it with a wooden spoon. Chiyo went to grab some cups and turned back just in time to catch Yukari's hand before she splashed a large shot of alcohol into the mix. The teacher stared at the young girl as if she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

To her surprise, Chiyo dipped one cup into the mix, sat it to the side, and then let go of the older woman's hand. Yukari stared at her in shock.

"Not much, please?" The prodigy mouthed. Still in shock, Yukari nodded and only put in half of what she had intended. The pigtailed girl gave her a mischievous grin and nodded. The two brought the bowl and a stack of cups out to the others. Yukari sat down next to her friend and took a drink out of the bottle before setting it behind her bag by the wall.

"Only one drink? I'm impressed." Nyamo commented.

"I only want to be a little tipsy for this. I fell like it'll be memorable." Nyamo felt a small amount of concern at that, but shrugged it off.

"So, how do we choose who goes?" Kagura asked.

"You usually spin a bottle, and either go in a circle, or the last person that got pointed to goes. It's up to you though. Some people just go when they have an idea, but it can lead to only a few people going." Nyamo nodded at her friends words. It turns out Yukari knew a thing or two after all, even if it was only about party games.

"Are you two playing too?" Chiyo asked. Nyamo looked at her friend and blushed. Yukari noticed Chiyo's tiny shake before matching the physical education teacher and shaking her head.

"Nah, we'll just watch and be the judge if something is out of line." Nyamo nodded yet again, her mind trapped back in her college days and a particularly memorable game of truth or dare she'd been involved in.

"Okay, so lets go. Kagura won the race, so she can go first. Chiyo produced an empty bottle from a large bag by her side and sat it in the middle of the group of girls. Kagura grabbed it and spun it. It stopped pointing at Sakaki.

"Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"How many stuffed animals do you own?" The taller girl blushed but began counting on her fingers, muttering to herself.

"Twenty seven." The others stared at her in amazement.

"Woah, your room has got to be the cutest place in the history of forever!" Tomo was in awe. She'd only ever owned two stuffed animals, and they'd both gone missing over the course of her lifetime of messy room.

"Alright Sakaki, your turn." Kagura slid the bottle across to her. Sakaki spun it and it landed on Tomo.

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare!" Sakaki thought for a moment.

"I dare you to stand on your head in the corner until it is your turn again." Everyone laughed, including Tomo, as she went over and propped herself up in the corner.

"Could someone spin the bottle for me?" Yomi gave the empty container a good spin, landing it one Chiyo. "Truth or dare?!"

"Uh... Truth. No, Dare! No, truth! Definitely truth." She shifted uncomfortably.

"What do your parents do for a living?" Chiyo was surprised by the innocent question from the rarely innocent girl. She was also surprised by the large number of curious stares.

"My father is a neurosurgeon and my mother is a research scientist in the medical field." Several nods of understanding at where the girl got her money and her brain. Sakaki was lost in thoughts of the strange orange cat holding a scalpel. Chiyo spun the bottle and it landed on Chihiro. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare!" Kaorin knew she should take her dare with the kind and innocent Chiyo, rather than wait for someone like Kagura or Tomo.

The small prodigy gave the unsuspecting girl her second mischievous grin of the evening and pulled something else from her bag. She slid it across to Kaorin. "Please go to the bathroom and put these on, and wear them for the rest of this trip. Including when you sleep, but not when you shower." Kaorin looked at the small bag as if it might contain scorpions, but picked it up and did as commanded.

A few minutes later, she returned, with her face red to the point of being comical. She was wearing a pair of very realistic cat ears that blended perfectly into her hair. And a matching tail dangled behind her, stitched to a pair of panties she was now wearing over her own pair. Sakaki stared in adoration at her new roommate.

"So cute..." She murmured. No one heard her, but Chiyo saw her staring and grinned. Just as planned. Kaorin sat down and spun the bottle. It landed on Osaka.

"Truth or dare, Osaka?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to put your hair in pigtails, just like Chiyo's." Osaka looked horrified.

"But... But what if they take over my brain?! What will I do then?"

"You'll be fine Osaka. Chiyo's brain works better than all of ours put together. Maybe we all need pigtails." Kagura pointed out. Osaka swallowed and complied.

"How's that?"

"They're moving! They're moving!" Kaorin pointed and shouted, fixing a look of terror on her face. Osaka jumped to her feet and began tugging at her hair as the cat-girl fell over laughing.

"Wow Kaorin I didn't know you could be so devious!" Tomo laughed right along with her. Kaorin pulled herself together and, with Sakaki's help, calmed the panicked girl.

"Alright Osaka, your turn." Chiyo said, slightly confused by what had just happened.

Osaka spun the bottle, still trying to eye her new hair style warily. It landed on Kagura.

"Truth or dare?"

"Truth!"

"Do you know what my name is?" Kagura laughed.

"What kind of a silly question is that? You're Osaka!" Everyone who had been in the girls class their first year stared at Kagura.

"Her name isn't actually Osaka, Kagura. She's from Osaka, and that is just what Tomo called her." Yomi patted the surprised athlete on the shoulder.

"What? Really? Osaka I never knew you had another name! What is it?!" A sly grin spread across the girl's face.

"Have one of the others tell you." Kagura looked around at her friends as they slowly looked away.

"None of you know it either? You're awful!"

"Hey, at least we knew she _had_ another name!" Tomo snapped back. "What _is _your name, Osaka?"

"It is Ayumu Kasuga." Osaka sighed. Kagura bounced in excitement.

"That's so cool! If I was your sister, my name would be Kagura Kasuga! That's almost the same!"

"Oh, yeah I guess it is." Osaka soon became lost in thought, considering the similarity of their names, or maybe sea slugs. Kagura spun the bottle and it landed on Kaorin again.

"Truth or dare?"

"Truth!" Kaorin was horrified about what the girl might ask. Undoubtedly something embarrassing.

"Have you ever taken advantage of Kimura's weird obsession with you in any way? Like a picture for an A, or maybe holding hands to get out of detention?" Kaorin stared at the athlete.

"No, I have never been that desperate for a grade or for my after school freedom. My turn." She was mentally thrilled and appalled by the question. On one hand, it was easy and not embarrassing to answer, but on the other, the fact that she would ask that made her wonder how these girls looked at her.

She spun the bottle and it landed on Sakaki. She asked for her decision and then took a long drink from her kool aid, hoping to buy some time to think. She felt strangely confident suddenly. The consequences of her actions seemed less important now than the actions themselves. The action being, take advantage of the situation.

"Dare." Sakaki said clearly and waited. She was staring at the cute cat girl intently, taking in every detail, from the way she fidgeted, to the way the ears moved with her, as if showing her emotions.

"I think I need some whiskers to go with my outfit. I dare you to come over here, take this marker, and draw me some." Everyone stared at the normally shy girl in amazement. No one, including herself, could believe what she had just said. Sakaki swallowed and tried to steady her breathing. She didn't want to scare away her roommate and cat sitter by being creepy.

She stood up and walked across to the smaller girl, kneeling down face to face with her and taking the marker. She carefully traced thin delicate lines arching from Kaorin's nose out over her cheeks, careful not to smudge them while they were wet, and even going so far as to blow gently on the lines.

"Wow, nice job Sakaki, she looks just like a cute little cat girl from an anime!" Tomo commented loudly from her place upside down in the corner. Sakaki smiled at her handiwork and then spun the bottle without moving away from Kaorin, instead sitting next to her. It pointed to Chiyo.

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare." Chiyo hoped for mercy from the girl she respected so much.

"I dare you to remove your pig tails and put your hair in a pony tail for the rest of the night." Chiyo blinked then did as she was commanded. As soon as it was done, combined with her more mature outfit, she was beginning to look like she was on her way to college. It was amazing the difference that a few small changes could make in the small girl.

"Chiyo, that really is a good look for you." Yomi complemented to kind young host. Chiyo spun the bottle and it landed on Yomi who immediately blushed, looking as if she was trying to butter the girl up for her own benefit.

"Truth or dare, Yomi?"

"Dare." Chiyo smiled again. Her friends were beginning to wonder if there was a larger game afoot that was bringing out this mischievous side of their normally innocent friend.

"May I ask how bad your eye sight is without your glasses first?"

"Oh it is friekin' terrible! I lost them once and she couldn't even make it out of her room to strangle me! It was hilarious! I bet there are still dents in her walls from where she ran into them so much!" Tomo squealed gleefully from the corner. Yomi glared at her, but didn't deny it. Chiyo smiled kindly.

"I dare you to please turn your glasses over to me for the rest of the night and allow Tomo to be your sole source of navigation." Yomi almost threw something at the prodigy. That was just downright cruel. However, not one to back down from a challenge, especially from her one academic rival, she complied, passing her glasses around the group to the host.

"Oh Chiyo, I will get you for this one." Chiyo giggled as Yomi glared very threateningly two feet to her left. Kagura slid the bottle to Yomi's hand. The blind girl spun it and waited for an update on its status.

"Oh looks like revenge hits fast tonight! It pointed right back at Chiyo, Yomi!" Kagura cheered and the prodigy shrank in her spot. Yomi almost knocked her cup over, and drained it so it wouldn't make a mess, then she turned er gaze in the vague direction of the genius.

"Truth or dare?"

"T-truth..."

"Last friday I saw you checking a very interesting looking book out at the library. Would you like to tell us what it was?" Chiyo turned very pale and then blushed very bright.

"Uh..."

"Yes?" Yomi smiled triumphantly. It was a little mean of her to embarrass the girl like this, but she was in a very vindictive mood, looking forward to the trip up the stairs with her hyper friend as her eyes.

Chiyo took a breath, steadied herself, and bowed her head in defeat. "It was a comprehensive guide to sex and sexual references in popular culture. It was just so I would understand what was going on around me in college..."

"Chiyo! Do you still have it out? I bet that would beat Nyamo's story time from two trips ago!" The teacher in question tried to vanish into her seat as Tomo shouted across the room yet again.

"No, I returned it before I came her with you all." Chiyo was surprised by the lack of judgemental looks she received. She smiled shyly and spun the bottle again. It landed on Tomo. "Okay, I guess you can come back here and sit right side up again. Truth or dare?"

"Dare of course!" Tomo rolled gracefully to her feet and then stumbled to the ring of her friends, collapsing into her spot. Her cup was long empty and she'd just spent quite a while on her head, so she was more than a little affected.

Chiyo reached into her bag yet again and pulled out a roll of thick, wide, dark tape and tossed it to the girl.

"Just to make it a little more interesting with you helping Yomi, I dare you to tape your mouth firmly shut until Yomi removes it. You'll have to write down your dares and questions. Yomi, I hope this means no hard feelings?" The blind girl laughed and nodded. She got to decide when Tomo got to speak next? Well that was going to be a while.

Tomo laughed one last time, then proceeded to apply layer upon layer of long strips to her mouth, sealing her voice away completely. She then spun the bottle and it landed on Osaka.

Before she could try to mime out her next dare or question, Nyamo stood up and stretched.

"I'm exhausted, and it is getting pretty late. I think we should call it a night and pick up tomorrow." Several drowsy nods greeted the sensible woman's words.


	3. Chapter 3

Tomo began tugging on Yomi's arm immediately.

"Tomo, stop, your going to pull my arm off! Just... Grrr... Help me up! Carefully, alright?" Unable to respond verbally, Tomo gave Yomi a thumbs up, which in the now dim light, she could not see, even through it nearly poked her in the eye.

Tomo took her arm more gently, putting one arm under her shoulder to lift as the taller girl used her friend as a crutch, making it to her feet despite her severely diminished balance and coördination. She sighed at the amount of effort just standing had taken and considered sleeping where she was. But Tomo was having none of that.

"Alright, alright! Go slow, and... I dunno, tap my hand when I need to step up." She knew she was going to regret agreeing to this, but she had agreed, and there was no way in hell she was going to let Chiyo win. At least Tomo was quiet for once. That redeemed the pigtailed prodigy slightly.

Tomo tapped her hand sooner than expected, and she carefully lifted her foot, feeling around in front of her for the first step. She wobbled dangerously, but Tomo wrapped an arm around her back and held her steady as she finally located the step. She smiled at the warm arm pressed to her back and remembered a bit of why she put up with the hyperactive girl to begin with.

"Hey Tomo, this is a lot like when we met, you know? I hadn't thought about that in ages... Do you remember? Oh yeah, tape. Forgot. Sorry. Jeez, it seems like forever ago and yesterday at the same time..." Yomi was carefully making her way upward, step by step, with Tomo still supporting her silently.

"What's it been now? Ten years? Yeah... I think so. Wow... I can't believe i've put up with your shenanigans for a whole decade... That day we met... I didn't have my glasses then either. They got broken, and you took care of me then too. And I haven't been able to get rid of you since."

She smiled at the memory of the hyper girl helping her up off the ground and informing her that her glasses where no longer going to do her any good. She'd then gone and guided her all the way from the playground to her house, and called her mother for her before handing her the phone. She smiled even wider when she remembered Tomo asking her to repeat the number a dozen times so she could do it all from memory in one go, just like Yomi.

The next day, they had eaten lunch together, and that had been the end of loneliness for both of them.

"Tomo... Thank you for sticking by me for this long. I know I complain a lot, and i'm not always the best friend I should be, but I really am glad I have you to lean on." As they reached the landing at the top of the stairs, Yomi hugged her long time friend close and smiled to herself in the dark.

Tomo was surprised by the sudden burst of emotions from her generally calm and collected friend. She blushed as she remembered how shy Yomi had been once upon a time, and how much of an annoying outcast she herself had been. Neither of them had really had any friends before then. Tomo had been amazed when the girl she had helped the day before sought her out the next day and ate lunch with her.

Tomo had talked and talked the entire time, and annoyed the bespectacled girl to the point of smacking her over the head with a plastic spoon, but despite that, she'd still been there again the next day. After that, Tomo had tried to keep within a few boundaries when she talked with the girl. She had a friend now, and she didn't want to drive her away like she had so many others.

As she stood there, with her best friend's arms wrapped around her, Tomo felt her eyes grow moist. She leaned into the hug and returned the embrace. A few moments later, the two pulled apart and Tomo began leading her friend to their room at the end of the hall. They made it with only a few stumbles and one stubbed toe. Tomo's, because she had been paying all of her attention to guiding her friend's feet, and none to her own.

"How's your foot?" Yomi asked, looking with concern in the direction she thought her friend was. She'd heard the thump and the whimper as Tomo's foot had hit the edge of a doorway mid stride. Tomo just patted her shoulder and then gently guided her to the foot of the bed. Now with some frame of reference, Yomi was able to manuever herself into a comfortable position, pressed close to the wall. She felt the mattress shift as Tomo stretched out next to her.

Yomi rolled onto her side and reached out, inch by inch, carefull not to poke her friend in the eyes, until she brushed Tomo's cheek and found the edge of the tape. With one sharp pull, it peeled off. Tomo winced, and then whispered.

"Thanks, Yomi." Yomi sighed in relief at hearing the familiar voice and relaxed onto her back again.

"Hey, Yomi... Thanks for putting up with me." She yawned and looked over at her blind friend, then inched closer. When they were nose to nose, she felt her cheeks growing warm and almost moved away again, but Yomi leaned up and brushed her lips against Tomo's.

"Yomi... Did you do that on purpose?" Yomi only nodded and rolled away from her friend, a smile on her face and her useless eyes closed.

"Go to sleep. I'm exhausted. I think that kool aid stuff must have been bad or something, i've felt weird all night." Tomo sighed and stared blankly at the ceiling, one hand stretched under her neck, and the other touching her lips. She'd been feeling weird as well. Yomi must be right. Every one had been acting a little weird. Maybe Yukari had spiked the drink with something while Chiyo was distracted or something.

She thought about the events of the night and smiled. Her best friend had kissed her. She hadn't even known she wanted that until it was a moment from happening. But Yomi seemed like it had been on her mind for a while. Tomo looked to her side at her friend's back moving slowly with each breath.

After a few moments, she rolled onto her side and wrapped her arms protectively around Yomi's middle, holding her close and pulling the blanket around them. She buried her face in the taller girls neck and kissed her gently. They'd have a lot to talk about in the morning.

Kaorin was feeling strange. She felt like she should be nervous. She was lying in bed, next to the girl of her dreams, wearing the ears and tail of a cat and her standard sleepwear consisting of shorts and a tank top. Sakaki was laying on her side with her back to the wall, idly petting the cat curled up on the pillow between them.

"Hey Sakaki... Do you like any one at school? I mean... do you have any crushes?"

"I... I do not have any romantic interest in any of the boys at our school right now..." Kaorin felt warm from her toes to her ears.

"Hmmm... Well you know you could take your pick of anyone there. You're the most beautiful girl in school and you're so cool, I bet anyone would go out with you if you asked." She squirmed nervously. Her mouth didn't want to obey her. It wouldn't stay closed.

"I don't think so. I'd rather go out with someone that knows more about me than just what they see. I'd like someone I can really be myself around without feeling embarrassed..." Sakaki looked down, avoiding her friend's face.

"What do you have to be embarrassed about?" Kaorin rolled onto her side, facing Sakaki and added her hand to the content cat's fur, increasing Maya's purring slightly.

"I... I like cute things but i'm not cute. I've never been cute. I've always been too big, so I was never really able to enjoy liking cute things. I was always supposed to be cool and scary even if I didn't want to be..." Kaorin shivered when her hand touched Sakaki's.

"You are cute. You have stuffed animals, and you are so caring for Maya... I like you inside and out. You've got nothing to be embarrassed about." She was about to mentally strangle herself. She'd just admitted she liked Sakaki! What was she thinking?!

"Not as cute as you. If I wore kitty ears and a tail, i'd look like some kind of prostitute, but when you do it, you look adorable. No one would think anything of it if you liked cute things." Kaorin couldn't stop her mouth from giggling at that.

"Sakaki, you're being silly. You shouldn't care so much about what others think, especially people who are dumb enough to judge you without knowing you. I think you are cute, and I like you just the way you are, and I think our friends feel the same way." Kaorin blushed deeply and looked toward her toes.

"You're a really good friend. Thank you." Sakaki let out a small laugh that Kaorin had never heard. She looked up at the long haired girl. "I almost started petting you when I finished drawing those whiskers on you." Kaorin was burning red now, but her mouth still wouldn't obey.

"You can pet me, if you want. I don't mind." Sakaki stared at her for a moment, then reached out a hand and gently pushed Kaorin's bangs out of her face before slowly running her hand over the shorter girl's hair and to the back of her neck. She repeated the motion a few times then rolled onto her back giggling when Kaorin attempted to purr. Kaorin joined her in laughter at her own pitiful attempt.

"Kaorin... Thanks. I feel more comfortable with you than I do with anyone else. Even Chiyo. It is nice to be able to be myself for once." Sakaki stretched out on her back, arching her back as Kaorin stared entranced at the taller girls figure before smiling and turning back to her crush.

"Hey Sakaki... Earlier, when I asked if you liked anyone... you specifically said you don't like any boys. Does that mean there is a lucky girl out there who's snatched your heart away?" Kaorin had her fingers crossed in her heart that the branch she was going out on wouldn't break and send her crashing to earth.

"No... I... Maybe..." Sakaki looked away from her again, but this time she held her ground.

"It's alright. I promise I won't tell anyone."

"Yes."

"How long have you liked her?"

"I don't know... I only realized that I liked her very recently."

"Do I know her?"

"I imagine so."

"Will you tell me who?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I... I'm afraid of what i'll lose if she doesn't feel the same."

"I know the feeling. But... I'm beginning to think maybe it would be worth the risk."

"Wait... Do you mean... You..." Without warning Sakaki pulled the smaller girl close and hugged her tightly, trying not burst into tears. "Tell me I haven't just made the worst mistake of my life..."

Kaorin was in heaven. The warmth radiating from the other girl's body was all the blanket she needed as she shifted slightly to a more comfortable position, her body meshing into Sakaki's perfectly in their embrace.

Sakaki moved away from her slowly, searching her face for any sign of acceptance or rejection. Kaorin couldn't make any words come out. She opened her mouth to speak a couple of times, then smiled warmly.

"Meow." Sakaki's face broke into a smile and she rolled on top of her soon to be roommate and kissed her passionately. Kaorin melted under her, draping her limp arms and legs around the torso suspended above her. After a few minutes, another meow interrupted the two. Maya was not pleased to have lost both of his personal scratchers.

The girls grinned at the cat and pulled the animal into a warm hug, petting and scratching him all over until her felt as loved as they both did. They fell asleep in one small pile of blankets and tails.

"Hey Nyamo?" Yukari was sitting up at the foot of the bed with a cold bottle of water grasped loosely in one hand and a book in the other.

"What is it Yukari?" Nyamo sat up as well, looking groggily at her friend. Yukari held the bottle out to her and she drank a few mouthfuls before handing it back.

"Did tonight bring up any memories for you?" Nyamo rubbed her eyes and then looked questioningly at Yukari.

"What do you mean? Playing truth or dare? Yeah, I remember it too." Yukari shook her head.

"More than that. Just college in general. All the ways we changed, and all the ways we didn't. These girls are going to go through that soon themselves." Nyamo smiled and moved to sit beside the english teacher.

"They really have been your favorite students, haven't they?" Yukari grinned at her friend's words.

"Well of course. They remind me so much of us it really is amazing. The way Tomo and Yomi fight but stay side by side no matter what. The way Kaorin is so crazy for Sakaki but can't bring it up face to face. Even Sakaki being embarrassed about having interests outside what people expect from her. Then there's Kagura, who's basically a louder version of you, and Chiyo who's a less athletic version of me."

Nyamo snorted at that and Yukari glared at her. Nyamo explained. "You were never that smart or that cute, you narcisist! English was your only good subject." Yukari stuck her tongue out, but didn't deny the accusation.

"Still, they really are a lot like us. Well, except Osaka. She's more like that one girl... What was her name?"

"Mikuru I think. Yeah, I see what you mean. Not dumb, just on a different wavelength. She doesn't pick up on any of the obvious things, but she never misses the subtle stuff." Yukari nodded in agreement.

"She figured out you liked me before I did." Nyamo laughed.

"Yeah, she did. And she immediately went and told you. After I had already went through the trouble of writing you that love letter." Yukari smiled at the memory.

"Do you remember why we ended it?" Yukari's smile had vanished. Nyamo looked at her sadly.

"You said it would be better if I went with my mother's plan and got married and had a family. You didn't want a bit of high school experimentation to mess up my relationship with my mother or hurt my future." Yukari closed her book and tossed it carelessly into her bag on the floor and stretched her legs out in front of her.

"Yeah... It sounds really kind and reasonable when you say it like that." Nyamo raised an eyebrow.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means... Those were just excuses. Or justifications. I was afraid if I didn't let you go on my own terms, you'd leave me on your mothers. I didn't want her to be then end of what we had. I knew if that happened i'd lose you as a friend too, cause i'd never forgive her for taking away my best friend and you'd choose her over me any day."

"You're an idiot."

"Yeah, I know. You still sound a bit surprised every time you realize it though. Tonight... Made me really rethink that decision though. Watching Chiyo work so hard to make them all happy, whether they wanted to be happy or not... It really made me feel... Hopeful. She's a really awesome kid."

"Why don't you let you see them act like this?" Nyamo shook her head.

"Cause... I don't know. I guess I only want them to see me like this if they're willing to look that deep."

"Not many people are willing to do that."

"You did."

"Ha! I didn't really get much of a choice. After you stood up for me that one time, most people wouldn't have anything to do with me. You were the only person I could get help from on my english homework!" Yukari smiled a bit at the memories and slouched sideways, leaning on Nyamo's shoulder.

"I guess it is enough that they don't hate me after all I put them through. I certainly didn't make high school easy for them."

"No, but you got them all through. And I think, even if they didn't enjoy every minute of it, they appreciate what they've learned from you. Well, I know some of them do, but I think all of them do. Especially these seven." Nyamo leaned her head against her friend's hair and closed her eyes.

"Just like old times, huh Nyamo?" Yukari took a small sip of the water, then a more filling swallow.

"Your headache better yet?" Yukari nodded and tossed the nearly empty bottle to the pile that was her bag of belongings.

"Nyamo... I know it was my idea to end it before... But it was a mistake. I didn't really feel any hope back then. I didn't have as much faith in you as I should have. I'm sorry. Would you give me another chance?" Yukari nearly whispered her question.

"My mother had been trying to set me up with arranged marriages for a while now... It's getting kind of tiresome. If I say yes, will you come with me to tell my mother?" Yukari slipped her hand into Nyamo's and nodded weakly.

"Yes. For better or for worse, I want us to do it right this time. I love you Nyamo." The athletic teacher squeezed the hand intertwined with hers.

"I love you too, Kari." Yukari giggled.

"You haven't called me that for a long time Minamo." Nyamo wrapped her arms around her lover and friend and pulled her down onto the pillow, kissing her twice before nuzzling into her neck and sighing contentedly.

"I know. It seems too intimate to use to often. It would lose it's meaning." Yukari smiled and returned the embrace and kisses willingly.

"Yeah... I know what you mean. I wish I had made the same decision." Nyamo shook her head.

"You calling me by my real name is special enough. Now go to sleep. We've got a long week ahead of us."


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey Maya! Kaorin, are you here?" Sakaki bent down and caught her cat as he leaped gracefully into her arms. She stood up and looked around the apartment in time to see the short haired girl poke her smiling face around the corner from the kitchen.

"Welcome home Sakaki! How was work?" Sakaki walked into the kitchen, following the smell of fresh curry and rice.

"It was a really good day, actually. Nothing serious, just a lot of standard shots and grooming. There was a beautiful black cat with green eyes that I wanted to bring home to Maya." She giggled as the cat in question looked at her. Was he wishing she'd brought him home a lady friend as well?

"That's great! I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning. We just got some new equipment and they asked me to help with calibration! It'll be about four hours of looking through a telescope before class!" Kaorin grinned at the prospect and scraped two plates of food out of the pot for her and her roommate.

"Have you reconsidered going into astronomy now that you have a part time job in the lab? You enjoy it so much, I know you could handle the math." Kaorin shrugged.

"If you turn your hobby into your career, you never have to work, but you do lose your hobby. I'd rather work with you, taking care of animals and keep my star gazing here at home. Besides, I'd be behind if I switched majors now." Kaorin sat across the table from Sakaki and tickled Maya's nose with a napkin before eating. Sakaki finished first and began doing the dishes, while Kaorin took care of the laundry. A few minutes later, they both collapsed on the sofa.

"What time do you plan to go to sleep tonight?"

"Nine I think. I've got to be at the lab at 3 and I want to get more sleep than last night. Even if it was totally worth it." Kaorin turned and laid her head on the taller girl's lap, smiling up at her. Sakaki grinned down at her, blushing happily as she stroked her lover's soft hair.

"Would you like to go out for a bit? See a movie, or maybe go ice skating?" Kaorin's eyes lit up.

"Yeah! We haven't gone out in weeks! Let me go get dressed a bit better and we can go right away!" Sakaki smiled as the girl ran into the other room.

It was nearly the end of their first semester at college, and they already had a comfortable life. Sakaki would go to work immediately after class, coming home at various hours of the evening, while Kaorin would get up and go to work before class. They always slept while the other was at work and for a while together, but spent as much of their overlapping free time together as possible.

They were both still studying to go into a medical field with animals, but they had tossed around various ideas. Kaorin loved being in a lab with scientific equipment that she could trust to give her perfect results, while Sakaki loved being outside or in a more personal setting, where she could feel closer to any animal she was working with at the time.

They'd considered zoos, vets, and even research. But they still had three and a half years, so they were in no hurry. Sakaki sat Maya down on the floor, where he immediately ran to his water bowl. She laughed as he dipped his head quickly and splashed his nose, jerking back suddenly from the water.

Kaorin and Sakaki had decided, since they were going to be living together, that it would be best to wait to make their relationship public. Kaorin's mother already knew the situation, but Sakaki's parents were oblivious to their daughter's affections.

There was one thing that bothered them about their relationship. They had not realized until after she had already departed for America that Chiyo had been the mastermind of the relationships forged on their last trip together. They had found out about Nyamo and Yukari's rekindled love the very next morning. Yukari was far from a subtle person. Yomi and Tomo managed not to give it away completely for several weeks, although somehow Chiyo seemed confident in her complete success at the time of her departure.

The bespectacled girl and her childhood friend had been late to breakfast, despite evidence showing they had both been wide awake for quite some time, so naturally, there were a few rumors. Some as ridiculous as alien abduction (Osaka), some as blatantly inappropriate as morning sex (Kagura), and some close to the mark like a heart to heart discussion about truth or dare (Kaorin).

But no one knew for certain until the start of classes when the pair had met up with Sakaki and Kaorin to deliver pictures and compare classes. When Kaorin arrived holding Sakaki's hand, Tomo immediately turned to her taller friend.

"See? I told you we weren't the only ones!" Tomo then grabbed Yomi's hand and dragged her to meet their old class mates.

However, the real problem with their late realization was that they couldn't thank the prodigy properly until the following summer. Sakaki wanted to call her and thank her immediately, but Kaorin wanted to wait and thank her in person. When Yomi agreed with Kaorin, the two decided it was probably the right choice.

So now they were enjoying the start of their lives together while they waited to express their gratitude to the young girl who had given them the nudge they needed to come together.

"Yomi!" Tomo sprinted down the sidewalk and leaped onto her girlfriend's back, nearly toppling her.

"Tomo you moron, get off! You could have knocked me into traffic or something!" Yomi glared over her shoulder at the hyper girl's grinning face and sighed.

"Oh come on Yomi! You carry yourself around all the time, so adding little old me can't be that bad!" Yomi growled and started stumbling around dangerously, making Tomo leap off her in fear of falling. Yomi then smacked her over the head.

"Why do you have to make jokes about my weight?"

"Cause its the one thing that you are stupid about and I've got to take advantage of knowing something you don't while it lasts cause it doesn't happen much." Yomi was surprised by the answer and waited for Tomo to explain further. No explanation came.

"Could you tell me what it is that you know that I don't?"

"If I told you, then you would know!" Tomo stated it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah, but then I might help you with your homework." Yomi grinned as she held her one great trump card over the shorter girl's head. Tomo scowled and stuck out her tongue.

"Threatening to withhold help from your girlfriend isn't nice Yomi!" Tomo pulled a small notebook out of her jacket pocket and flipped to a page. She had taken to writing her assignments down so that she might remember to do some of them. It had worked... Some. Yomi now had a list of what to pester her about. "And I have math tonight! Fine. I'll tell you. But I want ice cream first!"

"Fine!" Yomi sighed again and began walking toward their favorite ice cream place. As usual, Tomo got the largest, sweetest, unhealthiest thing she could, while Yomi got a small milkshake. Tomo devoured her frozen treat in moments and smiled happily at Yomi.

"Alright. You're an idiot about your weight. Just because you weigh more than the average Japanese woman your age does not mean you are over weight and it definitely doesn't mean you are fat! You are taller, more muscular, and have bigger boobs than the average Japanese woman your age, or any age for that matter, so you really should think about what is healthy, not what will help you lose weight. It really worries me when you try some of these diets and it really makes me mad when you actually believe that you aren't the most beautiful woman I've ever met!"

Yomi stared at her for a moment, before smiling slowly and trying not to tear up.

"Tomo... that was really sweet in a really uniquely obnoxious Tomo way... Thanks." She hugged the shorter girl tightly, then took her hand. "I'll cook tonight. Maybe mapo tofu with rice. Forget the stupid grainless diet." Tomo grinned from ear to ear and stretched up to kiss the girl's cheek.

"There, now i'll probably never know something you don't again. So will you help me with my homework?" Tomo sighed and nodded reluctantly. She knew that it wasn't as bad as high school. Tomo was in a lot of classes that held interest to her now, so she put actual effort into them, but she still came to Yomi for help whenever she had difficulties. Yomi didn't really mind.

"You do know I have homework of my own, don't you?" Tomo laughed.

"You probably finished half of it before you left school!" Tomo grinned when she saw the small blush that meant she was right.

"What else am I supposed to do between classes?" Yomi questioned the triumphant looking girl beside her.

"Paper air planes!"

"Oh no, tell me you didn't..."

"Didn't what?"

"Never mind, I don't want to know."

"So you weren't blowing all your money on alcohol and video games?"

"Nope."

"You seriously saved all of it?"

"Yup."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Cause I wanted it to be a surprise, and I wasn't sure if I was really going to go through with this or not until today."

"You really amaze me sometimes, you know that Yukari?"

"I try, my dear Nyamo."

"Lets go in."

"About damn time!"

The wavy haired woman dashed up to the door and fit the key in the lock as if she had done it a million times, opening the door and darting inside, turning to face the entrance and the woman who was following her.

"It's fully furnished too?! This is... amazing."

"Yeah, I'm pretty good at this, right?" Yukari grinned with pride.

"I've gotta say, you really came through on this one." Nyamo looked around the room and began wondering into the other rooms. There were two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, a laundry room, and a bathroom. She smiled at her partner and sat on the sofa.

"You like it?" Yukari collapsed next to her and looked at her for confirmation. She received a kiss and a laugh.

"Yes, I love it. We can move in this weekend?" Yukari nodded.

"Yup! This place officially belongs to us! All contents are ours, and we can move our things in at any time. I would have already had my stuff in, but I wanted to make sure this was okay with you first."

"Why wouldn't it have been okay with me?"

"Well... I sorta kept track of how much you've spent on me, roughly, since we met. And... Well if I counted that as half, we could have gotten a lot bigger place, but I thought this one would be better. It would be weird having that much unused room. And I wanted a car." Nyamo couldn't help but laugh. Over the years she had actually bought half a house worth of things for her best friend?

"It's perfect, Yukari. And you need a car, so I can stop driving you everywhere."

"You know you'd miss our morning conversations."

"You sleep for the entire five minute ride every morning."

"Yes, but I do think about you while I'm sleeping, so it is sort of like having a conversation, only neither of us really talk."

"Why do you want a car if you aren't going to drive to school?"

"So I'm not stuck here when you are at swim practice during the summer."

"You come with me most of the time. And the rest of the time, you're still asleep when I get back."

"That's beside the point. I need to be able to go places if I ever have to." Yukari was grinning like an idiot. Nyamo shook her head and smiled.

"I give up. Just try not to crash it? I know that your mother only put half those dents and scratches in her car, no matter what stories you feed her."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll take good care of it. Jeez, I haven't said that since I asked my parents if I could get a puppy." Yukari pulled her legs up and leaned fully against Nyamo, kissing her shoulder and then her neck.

"Yukari, is there a bed in that room yet?" Nyamo asked, leaning into the contact and smiling.

"Oh you dirty girl. Yes. Come on."

_**Special thanks to Demented Noodles, James Birdsong, Enis, and DeadlyThunder195 for your much appreciated reviews!**_

First, addressing Sakaki's talking too much. I'm sorry:( I do know it is a problem, but i'm not so great at writing for her, and I wanted it to come across more as her being more open to Kaorin. I actually prefer Kaorin with Chihiro, but I wanted to give this pair a try once. They will not be the focus of the story from now on.

_**Second, Chiyo has so much potential for awesomeness that I can't even begin to imagine all the things I can do with her. I'm considering something similar to Azumanga Daioh Plus Six, which if you haven't read it, you should! Along with Warmth and Cold Nights, together make up three of my favorite AD fics.**_

Yomi x Tomo are my favorite pair (Yomi is my favorite character), but I am better at writing for Nyamo x Yukari I think, so I am sorry, but I will probably focus on them more, unless I get good ideas for the younger two.

_**Fourthly, or whatever number I am on, I have two other AD fics in the works, but I have a lot of trouble writing for this fandom, and I am not sure why. It may be a while. I'll try to add to this one between other things, but don't expect it to become a huge priority. I promise I will not abandon it unfinished though! Leave reviews and PMs and I will write faster:)**_

As for the confusion on who is talking at a given time, that is just an issue I have in writing. I always put words first, and actions second, but sometimes people are reacting to each others words, so it becomes a mess. I will do my best to work on this. Feel free to yell at me if I do not.

Thank you for reading! Please review!


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